EAST CHICAGO (March 26, 2015) – The East Chicago Public Library system will be closed Friday, April 3 in observance of Good Friday.The closing applies to both the Main Library, 2401 Columbus Drive, and the Pastrick Branch Library, 1008 W. Chicago Ave. The closing also applies to the library reading rooms located at the community centers: King, Penn, 151st, Clemente, Markstown and Heritage Hall.Regular library hours will resume Saturday, April 4th, Main and Pastrick Branch hours are from 9 AM to 8 PM Monday through Thursday, and 9 AM to 5:00 PM Friday and Saturday. Hours of service for the reading rooms in the community centers are from 2:00 to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday.

The Library's Mission

The East Chicago Public Library System is committed to meeting the diverse needs of its patrons and all of East Chicago's citizens through the exemplary provision of a full range of high quality informational, educational and recreational materials, services, and resources.

Great Reads

You Can You Will, 8 Undeniable Qualities of a Winner

By Joel OsteenOsteen (Your Best Life Now) has his cultural and theological critics even as millions of followers enjoy his television broadcasts and buy his books. The pastor of the 45,000-member Lakewood Community Church in Houston acts as cheerleader and encourager, as pastors ought to do. The newest iteration of his simple belief system offers eight maxims to help a person understand and imitate the qualities of a successful individual: commit to excellence, serve others, etc. Osteen's eight undeniable winner qualities include the quintessentially American injunction to "think positive," and the book reads as much as business advice or self-help as it does pastoral counsel. It's clearly intended to speak beyond a small Christian audience; references to biblical sources and stories are general and lack detail. The question thoughtful people of faith ought to consider in thinking about Osteen's fast-food theology is, why are people eating it up? The question for booksellers is how many copies to stock. Agents: Shannon Marven and Jan Miller Rich, Dupree Miller & Associates. (Oct.) Publishers Weekly

We Are Not Ourselves

By Matthew ThomasIn his powerful and significant debut novel, Thomas masterfully evokes one woman’s life in the context of a brilliantly observed Irish working-class milieu. Eileen Tumulty was born in the early ’40s, the only child and dutiful caretaker of alcoholic parents. As a young woman, she hopes to leave her family’s dingy apartment in Woodside, Queens, and move up the social ladder. Eileen falls in love with and marries Ed Leary, a quiet neuroscientist whom she sees as the means to an upper-middle-class future. But Ed is dedicated to pure scientific research, and he turns down lucrative job offers from pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions. The couple’s apartment in Jackson Heights is a step up from Eileen’s parents’ apartment, but she wants a home in tony Westchester County. Later, Eileen pursues an arduous career as a nursing administrator to secure a future for their son, Connell. But once she gets her gracious but dilapidated fixer-upper in Bronxville, in southern Westchester, Ed is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, and the family slowly endures “the encroaching of a fathomless darkness.” Thomas works on a large canvas to create a memorable depiction of Eileen’s vibrant spirit, the intimacy of her love for Ed, and the desperate stoicism she exhibits as reality narrows her dreams. Her life, observed over a span of six decades, comes close to a definitive portrait of American social dynamics in the 20th century. Thomas’s emotional truthfulness combines with the novel’s texture and scope to create an unforgettable narrative. –Publishers Weekl

Unbreakable by Jenni Rivera

enni Rivera's first recording was a teenager's birthday present for her father. By the time that she died in a 2012 airplane crash at the age of 43, this short-lived Spanish-language singer had sold 15 million albums and was a five-time double-platinum recording star. In this posthumously published memoir, she writes about her early life as the daughter of undocumented immigrants, her eventful performing and recording career, and her personal life. The latter was exceptionally painful: Her first husband was convicted of molesting two of their children; her second died tragically young; and she divorced her third spouse shortly before she perished. –Barnes and Noble

The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

By Jeff Hobbs“Yale Alum Killed in Drug House." Robert Peace was only thirty when he was shot and killed in Newark in 2011, less than a decade after he graduated from Yale University with a degree in biochemistry. In this book, Jeff Hobbs, his college roommate for four years, writes with acute perceptiveness about his friend, a brilliant student who had seemed to escape his childhood in a crime-ridden urban slum, but hadn't. The Short & Tragic Life of Robert Peace is a heartfelt, poignant celebration of a gifted, giving young man who died tragically, but it is something more, lending readers a unique view into the double lives that many poor people feel impelled to lead. A Discover Great New Writers selection; editor's recommendation.—Barnes & Noble

The Alchemist

By Paulo CoelhoThis inspirational fable by Brazilian author and translator Coelho has been a runaway bestseller throughout Latin America and seems poised to achieve the same prominence here. The charming tale of Santiago, a shepherd boy, who dreams of seeing the world, is compelling in its own right, but gains resonance through the many lessons Santiago learns during his adventures. He journeys from Spain to Morocco in search of worldly success, and eventually to Egypt, where a fateful encounter with an alchemist brings him at last to self-understanding and spiritual enlightenment. The story has the comic charm, dramatic tension and psychological intensity of a fairy tale, but it's full of specific wisdom as well, about becoming self-empowered, overcoming depression, and believing in dreams. The cumulative effect is like hearing a wonderful bedtime story from an inspirational psychiatrist. Comparisons to The Little Prince are appropriate; this is a sweetly exotic tale for young and old alike. –Publishers Weekly

Ripper

By Isabel AllendeBestseller Allende (The House of the Spirits) successfully tries her hand at a mystery, which features an unlikely team of sleuths united by an online mystery game named after the infamous Whitechapel murderer. High school senior Amanda Martín is the games master for a group that includes her grandfather, Blake Jackson; a wheelchair-bound New Zealand boy with the online persona of a Gypsy girl named Esmeralda; and a 13-year-old boy with a high IQ who calls himself Sherlock Holmes. Amanda persuades her cohorts to investigate real-life crimes in 2012 San Francisco, starting with the murder of Ed Staton, a school security guard. A month earlier, Amanda's astrologer godmother predicted that San Francisco would suffer a bloodbath. The prophecy seems more credible when other murders follow Staton's. While this genre outing isn't as memorable as the author's more groundbreaking fiction, her facility with plotting and pacing will keep readers turning the pages. –Publishers Weekly

Missing You

By Harlan Coben

An unlikely bond develops between NYPD detective Kat Donovan and 19-year-old Brandon Phelps in this page-turning, stomach-churning standalone from bestseller Coben (Six Years). While exploring a dating site called YouAreJustMyType.com, Kat discovers the photo of Jeff Raynes, her ex-fiancé, who dumped her 18 years earlier. Brandon’s widowed mother, Dana Phelps, has also met someone from that site and is now missing. Several puzzles emerge. What happened to Jeff? What is happening to Dana? What is the real story behind the murder of Kat’s cop father, Henry Donovan, years before? Who is Titus Monroe, the man pulling the strings on the dating site? Coben orchestrates his story perfectly as Kat begins to sense the magnitude of horror at work and Titus becomes aware of her investigation. Once again, Coben has brilliantly used a current trend, in this case Internet dating, to create a can’t-put-it-down thriller. –Publisher’s Weekly

Citizen’s Creek

By Harlan Coben

The New York Times bestselling author of the Oprah Book Club Pick Cane River brings us the evocative story of a once-enslaved man who buys his freedom after serving as a translator during the American Indian Wars, and his granddaughter, who sustains his legacy of courage.
Cow Tom, born into slavery in Alabama in 1810 and sold to a Creek Indian chief before his tenth birthday, possessed an extraordinary gift: the ability to master languages. As the new country developed westward, and Indians, settlers, and blacks came into constant contact, Cow Tom became a key translator for his Creek master and was hired out to US military generals. His talent earned him money—but would it also grant him freedom? And what would become of him and his family in the aftermath of the Civil War and the Indian Removal westward?
Cow Tom’s legacy lives on—especially in the courageous spirit of his granddaughter Rose. She rises to leadership of the family as they struggle against political and societal hostility intent on keeping blacks and Indians oppressed. But through it all, her grandfather’s indelible mark of courage inspires her—in mind, in spirit, and in a family legacy that never dies.
Written in two parts portraying the parallel lives of Cow Tom and Rose, Citizens Creek is a beautifully rendered novel that takes the reader deep into a little known chapter of American history. It is a breathtaking tale of identity, community, and family—and above all, the power of an individual’s will to make a difference. – Simon & Schuster

New Hours, New Services and New Fees

The East Chicago Room will only be open Tuesday – Thursday from 12:30 to 4:30 PM

Scanning services are available ONLY at the Main Library, 2401 E. Columbus Drive. The service will be available Monday – Friday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM . The cost for scanning is $0.45 per page. The administrative offices where the scanner is located closes at 4:00 PM.

The fee for the use of the meeting rooms at the Main Library, 2401 E. Columbus Drive and the Pastrick Branch, 1008 W. Chicago Avenue will be $15.00.

Teen Poetry Slam on April 30

he East Chicago Public Library will be hosting a poetry slam contest for teens at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, April 30 at the East Chicago Public Library. Read More…

The East Chicago Public Library is pleased to announce that it now offers the Mango Languages online language-learning system to its patrons.. Read More…

History Room By Appointment only

Due to shortage of staff, use of the East Chicago History Room is temporarily ONLY by appointment. Appointments may be made at the Reference Department.

Women’s History Month Display

The East Chicago Public Library has mounted a special display in recognition of Women’s History Month. Books, photos, and posters of notable women are featured in the display. Read More…

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTORWELCOME TO THE EAST CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY- YOUR SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge is Power!(Francis Bacon)

The only wealth that no one can take away from you is your knowledge!

The library provides free access to information, opportunities for lifelong learning and accumulation of knowledge which lead to improved quality of life. The library protects your right to read and right to know, it is a community commons for discourse and exchange of ideas. It passes the torch of civilization from one generation to the next and enriches the lives of those who come in contact with it.

Ophelia Georgiev Roop

Free Internet Access

Bring In Your WiFi Laptop or Wireless Device Today to the library and Enjoy FREE High-Speed Internet Access. Both Locations.

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The Library's Mission

The East Chicago Public Library System is committed to meeting the diverse needs of its patrons and all of East Chicago's citizens through the exemplary provision of a full range of high quality informational, educational and recreational materials, services, and resources.